Fares shown are modelled estimates, not live quotes.
When to go to Paris and what it costs
The next twelve months. Weather and crowds are from our destination research; the fare is the lowest round trip we observed for that month on any US route we check.
- October 2026Best month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 62°F high, 47°F low, 11 rain days
- Crowds
- medium
Golden autumn light, falling leaves in the Luxembourg Gardens, and dramatically lower hotel prices. Bring layers — mornings and evenings get cold fast. - November 2026Worst month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 52°F high, 40°F low, 12 rain days
- Crowds
- low
Cold, rainy, and grey — but Christmas decorations go up in late November and the Champs-Élysées lights are genuinely impressive. Good deals on flights and hotels. - December 2026no observation yet
- Weather
- 46°F high, 36°F low, 11 rain days
- Crowds
- medium
Christmas market season makes early-to-mid December magical despite the cold. The week between Christmas and New Year is expensive and packed; New Year's Eve on the Champs is a massive spectacle. - January 2027no observation yet
- Weather
- 46°F high, 34°F low, 10 rain days
- Crowds
- low
Cold, grey, and often drizzly — Paris in January is rarely freezing but rarely pleasant outdoors. Pack a real coat, waterproof shoes, and embrace the indoor café culture. - February 2027no observation yet
- Weather
- 48°F high, 35°F low, 9 rain days
- Crowds
- low
Still chilly and overcast, but occasional crisp sunny days make the city look stunning. Crowds are minimal and hotel prices are at their lowest. - March 2027no observation yet
- Weather
- 54°F high, 39°F low, 11 rain days
- Crowds
- medium
Early spring arrives hesitantly — some warm afternoons, but expect cold snaps and rain. The parks start greening up and the city feels like it's waking up. - April 2027no observation yet
- Weather
- 60°F high, 44°F low, 10 rain days
- Crowds
- high
Classic Paris spring — cherry blossoms in the Tuileries, outdoor terraces reopening, and actual sunshine. Still bring a light jacket; evenings stay cool. - May 2027Best month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 67°F high, 50°F low, 10 rain days
- Crowds
- high
Arguably the best month to visit — long days, warm afternoons, everything in bloom, and the summer hordes haven't fully descended yet. This is peak Paris. - June 2027Best month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 73°F high, 56°F low, 9 rain days
- Crowds
- very high
Warm and pleasant with the longest days of the year, though the last two weeks get noticeably crowded. Fête de la Musique on the 21st is a genuine highlight. - July 2027Worst month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 79°F high, 61°F low, 8 rain days
- Crowds
- very high
Hot, packed, and sweaty — many Parisians actually leave and tourists fill the vacuum. Bastille Day on July 14th is spectacular but chaotic; be prepared for heat with no AC in most buildings. - August 2027Worst month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 79°F high, 61°F low, 8 rain days
- Crowds
- very high
Paris in August can feel like a tourist city that the actual Parisians abandoned. Many neighborhood restaurants close. Heatwaves are increasingly common and AC remains rare. - September 2027Best month per researchno observation yet
- Weather
- 72°F high, 54°F low, 9 rain days
- Crowds
- high
The best-kept secret month — crowds thin out after Labor Day, weather stays warm through most of the month, and the fashion week energy in late September is infectious.
Observed fares from Wildly's daily check, snapshot Oct 27. Round trip, economy, for the sample dates shown; not an estimate and not a bookable offer. How we check fares
Weather, crowds and best months: Wildly destination research.
Routes we watch into CDG
Each route page has the daily fare, a fare-by-month calendar and price history where we have it.
US departure cities for Paris
Origin guides for the cities with a tracked route to CDG. Each lists the cheapest live fares from that airport.
Estimate: modelled from route distance and region, not an observed fare. Observed fares, where we have them, are in the sections above.
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Estimated prices from all US cities (estimate)
Estimate: modelled from route distance and region, not an observed fare. Observed fares, where we have them, are in the sections above.
| From | Airport | Est. Price | Flight Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
LOWEST EST.Boston | BOS | $289 | ~8h | View → |
New York | LGA | $305 | ~8h | View → |
New York | JFK | $305 | ~8h | View → |
Newark | EWR | $306 | ~8h | View → |
Philadelphia | PHL | $312 | ~8h | View → |
Baltimore | BWI | $320 | ~9h | View → |
Washington D.C. | DCA | $323 | ~9h | View → |
Detroit | DTW | $332 | ~9h | View → |
Chicago | ORD | $348 | ~9h | View → |
Charlotte | CLT | $350 | ~9h | View → |
Minneapolis | MSP | $354 | ~9h | View → |
San Juan | SJU | $361 | ~10h | View → |
Nashville | BNA | $366 | ~10h | View → |
Atlanta | ATL | $369 | ~10h | View → |
St. Louis | STL | $369 | ~10h | View → |
Orlando | MCO | $378 | ~10h | View → |
Fort Lauderdale | FLL | $383 | ~10h | View → |
Tampa | TPA | $384 | ~10h | View → |
Miami | MIA | $385 | ~10h | View → |
Denver | DEN | $409 | ~11h | View → |
Dallas | DFW | $415 | ~11h | View → |
Seattle | SEA | $420 | ~11h | View → |
Houston | IAH | $422 | ~11h | View → |
Salt Lake City | SLC | $426 | ~11h | View → |
Austin | AUS | $429 | ~11h | View → |
Portland | PDX | $430 | ~11h | View → |
Las Vegas | LAS | $456 | ~12h | View → |
Phoenix | PHX | $459 | ~12h | View → |
San Francisco | SFO | $468 | ~12h | View → |
Los Angeles | LAX | $476 | ~12h | View → |
San Diego | SAN | $478 | ~12h | View → |
About Paris
Paris is one of those cities that actually lives up to the hype — but only if you approach it right. Americans who show up expecting everyone to speak English and museums to be uncrowded are in for a rude awakening. The ones who learn a few French phrases, book the Louvre in advance, and spend their mornings in a neighborhood boulangerie rather than a tourist café have genuinely transformative trips. The city rewards preparation and penalizes passivity.
Flights from the US have become competitive enough that savvy travelers regularly snag roundtrip fares under $500 from the East Coast on Air France, Delta, or Norse Atlantic. The sweet spot for booking is 2-4 months out, and the sweet spot for visiting is May, early June, September, or October — when the weather is legitimately good, the light is extraordinary, and you're not shoulder-to-shoulder with every other tourist on the planet. July and August are packed and sometimes oppressively hot since most buildings lack AC.
The euro exchange rate in 2025-2026 is workable for Americans — typically around $1.08-1.12 per euro — which makes Paris expensive but not London-expensive. Budget travelers can survive on €80-90 a day if they're strategic: picnic lunches from a fromagerie and boulangerie, a cheap lunch menu (plat du jour) at a neighborhood bistro, and free entry to most national museums on the first Sunday of each month. Mid-range travelers spending €150-200 a day can eat and drink very well.
Paris is genuinely a city of 20 distinct arrondissements with wildly different characters. The 1st and 4th have the tourist monuments; the 11th and 10th have the best bar scenes; the 6th and 7th have old-money Paris; the 18th around Montmartre has the most-photographed skyline. Skip the packaged Seine cruise operators at the main docks and instead take a Batobus day pass (€22) that functions as a hop-on, hop-off water transit system — actually useful for getting around.
Best Time to Fly to Paris
Click any month for the destination guide's weather, crowd, and festival notes.
Airport to City: How to Get There
The RER B train is the definitive best option: it runs directly from CDG Terminal 2 and T1 (via a free CDGVAL shuttle) to central Paris stops including Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les-Halles, and Saint-Michel in 35-45 minutes for €11.80 per person — buy tickets at the airport machines and validate before boarding. Taxis are metered with fixed fares mandated by law: €36 flat rate to the Left Bank (south of the Seine) and €31 to the Right Bank, plus €1/bag surcharge; expect 45-75 minutes depending on traffic. Avoid the shuttle buses like Le Bus Direct (€17-19) unless you're staying near the Opéra or Arc de Triomphe, as they stop constantly and traffic kills the journey time. Uber operates at CDG and typically runs €45-65 depending on traffic and surge pricing; meet at designated rideshare pickup zones in each terminal.
Neighborhoods & Where to Stay
The most walkable and genuinely livable neighborhood for first-time visitors — medieval streets, the Place des Vosges, great falafel on Rue des Rosiers, and boutique hotels in converted mansions. Hotel Pavillon de la Reine on the Place des Vosges is the splurge pick; Hotel de la Bretonnerie is the smart mid-range choice around €160/night. Avoid the tourist-trap restaurants immediately around the Centre Pompidou and instead eat along Rue de Bretagne.
The literary Left Bank neighborhood where Hemingway and Sartre did their writing — now dominated by luxury boutiques and €8 coffees at Café de Flore, which you should experience once. Hotel Bel Ami is the modern luxury pick; Hotel d'Aubusson has actual historical character. The Jardin du Luxembourg is the best park in Paris for a morning run or afternoon wine picnic.
Where younger Parisians actually live and drink — the best bar street in Paris is Rue Oberkampf, and the natural wine bar scene here (Le Servan, Septime Cave) is worth a full evening. Budget-friendly apartments on Airbnb run €70-100/night and you're on the Metro line 5 and 9. Avoid the immediate area around Place de la République at night, which attracts a rough crowd on weekends.
Undeniably beautiful hilltop neighborhood with the best city views in Paris, but heavily tourist-trappy around Sacré-Cœur — walk two blocks away and it becomes a genuine village. Les Deux Moulins (the Amélie café at 15 Rue Lepic) is legitimately worth visiting; the Sunday market at Place des Abbesses is excellent for cheese and charcuterie. Stay in the lower part near the Pigalle Metro for easy access to the rest of the city.
The most Instagram-worthy neighborhood in Paris that still feels authentic — iron footbridges over the canal, the famous Du Pain et des Idées bakery (croissants worth queuing for), and the best brunch scene in the city. Hotel du Nord (made famous by a 1938 film) is now a bar rather than a hotel, but the stretch of quai is genuinely lovely. Hotel Taylor is a well-priced boutique option at around €130-150/night.
The most photogenic Eiffel Tower views come from the Trocadéro esplanade, which is also in this residential, upscale neighborhood — quieter and more Parisian than the tower's immediate surroundings. Shangri-La Paris is the ultimate luxury splurge (former Napoleon III residence with Tower views from the pool). This neighborhood is best experienced as a day destination rather than a base; it's quiet at night and Metro connections are limited.
Daily Budget: What to Expect
€20 hostel dorm bed at Generator Paris or St Christopher's Gare du Nord, €8 boulangerie breakfast (croissant, café au lait), €14 plat du jour lunch at a neighborhood bistro, €12 picnic dinner from Monoprix (cheese, bread, wine, fruit), €14.90 Navigo day metro pass, €10 one paid museum or activity, €15 drinks
€130 two-star or boutique hotel like Hotel Jeanne d'Arc in Le Marais, €8 café breakfast, €22 sit-down lunch with wine at a brasserie, €45 dinner at a proper bistro like Bistrot Paul Bert, €14.90 Navigo day pass, €25 museum entrance and one activity, €25 afternoon wine and snacks
€350 four-star or design hotel like Hôtel du Petit Moulin or Hotel Bel Ami, €25 hotel breakfast or café, €60 lunch at a starred or notable restaurant like Septime, €130 dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, €30 private Uber rides instead of Metro, €55 premium experiences like private museum tour or Seine evening cruise
What to Eat in Paris
Croissant from Du Pain et des Idées (34 Rue Yves Toudic, 10th) — this is not the croissant you get at a chain café; the lamination creates dozens of audible shatter layers and the butter flavor is distinct. Go before 11am or the best ones are gone.
Steak frites at Bistrot Paul Bert (18 Rue Paul Bert, 11th) — the côte de bœuf is for two people, cooked perfectly rare by default, and the handcut fries are fried in beef tallow. Reserve a week in advance; this is the benchmark Parisian bistro experience.
Falafel at L'As du Fallafel (34 Rue des Rosiers, 4th) — the takeaway line is on the left, the sit-down queue is on the right, and the €7 falafel sandwich is stuffed with fried cauliflower, eggplant, cabbage, and tahini. Eat it standing on the street like everyone else.
Natural wine and small plates at Le Servan (32 Rue Saint-Maur, 11th) — two sisters run this converted school canteen and the menu changes daily based on market availability. Come for a €45-60 dinner and let them recommend bottles from their cellar; this is the food scene most American visitors miss entirely.
Macarons from Pierre Hermé (72 Rue Bonaparte, 6th) — specifically the Ispahan (rose, lychee, raspberry) or the Infiniment Vanille. Don't buy them at the airport; they've been sitting there. The flagship in Saint-Germain has the freshest inventory and you can eat them on a bench in the Luxembourg Gardens five minutes away.
Flying from the US to Paris
Airlines & Routes
- →Air France nonstop from JFK, LAX, SFO, MIA, BOS, IAD, ORD, SEA
- →Delta nonstop from JFK, ATL, BOS, DTW, LAX, SEA, SLC
- →United nonstop from EWR, IAD, ORD, LAX, SFO, IAH, DEN
- →American Airlines nonstop from JFK, PHL, MIA, ORD, DFW, LAX
- →Norse Atlantic nonstop from JFK, LAX, BOS, FLL, IAD — budget carrier, book early for sub-$350 fares
- →French Bee nonstop from SFO and Newark (EWR) — ultra-low-cost, bring your own snacks
- →La Compagnie business-class-only nonstop from EWR — surprisingly affordable at $1,200-1,800 roundtrip
Flight Duration
Safety Tips
Paris has specific, well-documented tourist crime patterns that are easy to avoid if you know them. The Eiffel Tower and surrounding Champ-de-Mars area have organized pickpocket teams, often disguised as tourists or charity clipboard workers — never sign a petition near major monuments and keep your bag in front of you at all times on the Trocadéro. The RER B from CDG is safe but keep your luggage between your knees and your phone in your pocket. The 'gold ring' scam (someone 'finds' a gold ring and asks for money) operates near Notre-Dame and the Louvre — just walk past without engaging. Gare du Nord can feel chaotic and aggressive late at night; it's one of the few Paris areas where you should walk with purpose and avoid eye contact. Scooter theft of bags from restaurant tables is increasingly common — never hang your bag on the back of a chair on a sidewalk terrace. Metro Line 4 through central Paris is safe during the day but late-night service on outer lines can be rough; taxis and Uber are both legitimate and comparable in price after midnight. The city is overall very safe by major city standards and solo female travelers report feeling comfortable in most neighborhoods through late evenings.
The Paris Museum Pass (€52 for 2 days, €66 for 4 days, €78 for 6 days) pays for itself on day one if you visit the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and Sainte-Chapelle — but the real hidden value is that pass holders use a different entrance queue that's dramatically shorter. At the Louvre specifically, pass holders enter through the Richelieu wing entrance on Rue de Rivoli, completely bypassing the 45-90 minute pyramid queue. Buy the pass online at parismuseumpass.com before you arrive and activate it at your first museum visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time to visit Paris?
May, June, September, October per Wildly destination research, based on weather and crowd levels rather than airfare. The months it rates worst are July, August, November.
Do US citizens need a visa to visit Paris?
US passport holders do not need a visa for tourist stays up to 90 days in any 180-day period under the Schengen Agreement — this 90-day limit applies across all Schengen countries combined, not just France. The EU's ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) pre-travel registration system is expected to launch in mid-2025; by 2026 it will be fully required and costs approximately €7, valid for 3 years. Register online before departure at the official ETIAS website (etias.com). Your US passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your departure date from the Schengen area. No proof of onward travel is technically required but customs agents at CDG occasionally ask; having your return ticket on your phone resolves this immediately. Source: Wildly destination research; verify with the destination's official immigration authority before booking.
How long is the flight from the US to Paris?
East Coast: 7-8 hours nonstop from JFK/BOS/EWR / 10-13 hours with connection. Midwest: 9-10 hours nonstop from ORD/ATL / 11-14 hours with connection from other midwest cities. West Coast: 11-12 hours nonstop from LAX/SFO/SEA / 13-16 hours with one connection. Source: Wildly destination research.
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